Food | Krauss-ing The World

Prague

Posted on February 24, 2023 by krauss-ingtheworld

A finely crafted city, the details of the outer baroque layers and renaissance grandeur remain preserved over the centuries. The basal layer of the gothic doors allows for many passageways, open and accessible to wander through. All of the buildings, even government ones, allow for visitors to take a peak or walk through the plaza. The inclusiveness of the city is very refreshing.

Cubism in architecture: the only place with this style in the world

And so are the low prices!

I begin with a city tour from an architect who paints a picture of the peak of Prague in the 14th century, the largest city in Europe at the time. The Austrian-Hungarian empire redecorated with baroque, adding on the facade of many remaining buildings. Many of the buildings are original and have miraculously survived.

The tour takes us through the main plaza, one of the most spectacular I’ve seen. We stop by to see the original clock tower. A very silly display of 18th century engineering shows a skeleton ringing a bell, 12 apostles turning around through windows, and a light on a rooster.

The cathedral in the plaza looks magnificent, haunting when I return at night.

Further along is the Jewish ghetto, demolished in the 1700s as health conditions got worse, and rebuilt in a Parisian style. The oldest buildings are the surviving synagogues, home to the oldest continuously practicing synagogue in Europe. The story of the golem that comes from here, and it said to be trapped in the attic.

The last stop is the original castle bridge which is covered in unique statues. One has a story of a saint of bridges, an innocent man tossed off a bridge, who has become a symbol of good luck. Another point of interest is the John Lennon wall, a symbol of the west and freedom that came as a resistance to the collapsing USSR. Today it features letters to Ukraine victims of the Russian invasion.

Across the river is the largest historical palace that is still used in government. Less of a palace and more of a collection of government buildings, it is beautiful to walk around the complex. It is open to everyone and you can take a peak in all the buildings for free, though you have to pay to go further. I wander around the cathedrals, offices, and mansions to the garden balcony that offers a fantastic view over the city

I lose myself in the streets of the old palace town, finding pastries that remind me of traditional Jewish ones, raspberry cookies dipped in chocolate and raspberry filled donuts. I find my way back to the center to eat and shelter from the rain in important government building plazas. I overstuff myself on pork and spinach stew with dumplings and fried Gouda at a reasonable price.

Wandering the town at night is magical, and the old palace town is all lit up. I wander through the corridors and arcades to navigate the city, and even old government buildings are still open!

I am completely enamored with this city and make a vow to return to spend more time here the next chance I get!

Sorrento

Posted on January 31, 2022 by krauss-ingtheworld

Sorrento has a lot of festivities, Christmas lights cued to Italian songs around the center, boutique shopping, and some interesting historic buildings. My favorite are the cloisters, which have an art gallery.

I watch the sunset from the nearby balcony; Sorrento has beautiful cliffs jutting out from the city and is surrounded by mountains and sea. I stay in a hotel, to my surprise, and for cheaper than any hostel.

San Francisco Cloister

I eat cookies of amarena mixed with chocolate for breakfast. I tell the cashier I’m American and not Italian and she is taken aback in surprise. Maybe because I come in every morning speaking Italian.

I have the best pizza for dinner.

The perfectly smoked crust is not too chewy, just soft enough. It’s almost liquid at the thinner parts, but nice and thick at the ends. The cheese is high quality and tender. The sauce is subtle, not too sweet or pasta-like. The secret is a little olive oil, which brings out the crust. I haven’t seen it used yet though it’s traditional.

I come down at just the right time as the chef comes and helps me ring up the check. As she struggles with the register, I ask about the oven, which is electric with a brick base, and the unusual shape, which is a bit difficult to make circular because the dough is so soft.

She has a background as a chemist, married an Italian, and so she know a lot about how fiber absorbs water, and continued fermentation of dough that keeps sucking out water. Some pizzas that are made while still fermenting will dehydrate you, which some pizza places do on purpose so you buy their drinks. I think the last pizza I have, Da Michele, the “best in Naples”, does this because I drank over a liter of water after and was still thirsty! It was still good, like what I would expect from a good Italian pizza place in New York, with a classic savory taste.

You want the dough to sit for a while before kneading it, and you don’t want to over-knead it. It is important to add water bit by bit, not all at once, and you have to factor in temperature, humidity, changes for different kinds of flour (such as the old antiche style grinded from the mill). You want more salt or less depending on these conditions, and it is different in Naples because of the water. There are certain UNESCO heritage standards. The recipe is always the same, but it’s just how you make it, the technique, that makes a great pizza! She continues on divulging more secrets, but I don’t have the capacity to absorb it all.

My final night I am treated to an array of samples typical of Sorrento. Home of limoncello, I try some mixed with Buffalo milk that is very sweet. The rum soaked baba cakes in limoncello are like taking a shot with each bite.

A chocolate shop offers cow milk limoncello that is perfect. This is followed by a chocolate covered candied lemon peel, which reminds me of Passover candies, then a chocolate filled biscuit, which I bring home for my family to try. I try a proper limoncello, which was strong but not too bitter, still sweet with lemon juice. There is a lemon candy which you crush it and limoncello spills out over your tongue.

The town villa is celebrating the last night of a festival, displaying artwork from local photographers in the beautiful caves and natural beauty of Sorrento. There are miniature nativity sculptures of terracotta and clay, and lots of old music boxes (Carillons). It is a classy and beautiful way to end my stay on the amalfi coast.

Entre Deux

Posted on April 30, 2021 by krauss-ingtheworld

Descending between two hills, I wind my way back down the beautiful ravine with the clouds swirling around the mountains.

While this is the same trail I walked before, this time I hear a tussle in the leaves. I see a small tenrec, then two! Tenrecs are insect-eating mammals from Madagascar, basically the island’s answer to the hedgehog. With no predators to eat them here, they do just fine and are quite defenseless rummaging in the leaf litter. I go to pick it up and move it out of the path, but it is spiky, and I hesitate. The much larger mother is just up the road, but she runs quickly back her hole in the ground. She sure is a noisy eater, and I hear the crunching of some kind of insect coming from her burrow.

There are many different kinds of tenrecs, native only to Madagascar, but this common tenrec (*Tenrec ecaudatus*) was introduced to several islands near Madagascar.

Leaving the trail, my hiking partner and I walk to the “Creole Village.” This seems like some sort of strange tourist marketing because the village of Entre Deux is really just a small town. However, it does have a distinct architectural flair, with some houses sporting a diamond design, shutters, and bright pastel colors. We have some really nice “Chinese” creole food in the form of an upside down rice bowl, which allows the juices to soak into the rice when turned upside down.

I stop for an ice cream on a crepe with the best view on the island, featuring magnificent volcanic ridges. The supermarket next store is also selling 10c red peppers, which is the best price for vegetables I’ve seen.

A much needed recharge with Black Forest ice cream and a butter crepe!

Just outside the town near a large garden, I notice a jackfruit on the ground. Deciding to rescue it rather than have it go to waste, I haul the spiky tropical fruit like a baby in my backpack, passing another tenrec and lots of small birds on the way back to the bus stop. Resting for a moment, we are decimated by ants crawling over my backpack, and I get dozens of painful stings while waiting for the bus. They continue to itch over the course of the next week- but at least this hike is accessible!

The baby jackfruit and I on our way back up the mountain. Carrying it leaves a sticky latex, so this is the most practical option. Update: When I opened it up, it wasn’t ripe. It’s possible it was cut down too soon or fell off because it wouldn’t ripen properly.

Paris

Posted on February 26, 2021 by krauss-ingtheworld

Ah Paris, the city of romance, history, and culture. I have been looking forward to Paris after re-reading The Three Musketeers (Les Trois Mousquetaires, this time in French) and seeing all the same streets mentioned in Alexandre Dumas’s legendary novel.
Even so, for a short layover trip en route to La Réunion for my next semester of graduate school, I didn’t get much of a feel for the city.

From my first impression, it seems a lot like New York with crowded streets, but much older. In terms of architecture, the houses are similar to Brussels yet feature cute balconies.

I walk up one of these cute historic alleys, Rue Mouffetard, for my first French crepe with satisfying cheese. The other students in my program and I drop our luggage at a friend’s place in the city center and continue on to the beautiful pantheon, where many promeninent French figures are buried. Opening google maps to navigate, every building seems to have some name or another. Almost every building is iconic in a city that’s been the bustling hub of France since the Middle Ages. We pass a high school that even has a plaque on it (with many crowds of teens roaming without masks).

A French crepe
Founded by Clovis in 510, this building became an abbey in the Middle Ages and
Giant marangues at the pastry shop

Finally I approach the Seine. It seems a bit like the LA river in that it flows kind of dirty along a cement channel, but it seems prettier as the river opens up further on as I walk down alongside it. It’s sad to see what’s left of Notre Dame after the fire a couple years ago. But it is a nice (but bone-chilling cold) walk to the Louvre just up the Seine.While everything is closed, I could see the iconic glass pyramids of the former seat of power. In The Three Musketeers, the protagonists would rendezvous at the Louvre to meet with King Louis XIII. I would have lost my head for taking a leak in the garden maze out front—me, a mere peasant! I can’t wait to return and see the artistic treasures inside.

The pyramids of the Louvre

Across the gardens the Obelisk towers over us with its beautiful gilded head. Except for at Natural History Museums, I’ve never seen hieroglyphs like those inscribed on the Obelisk. I stop for some hot wine to keep warm for the long walk to Arc du Triomphe.

Arc du Triomphe
The obelisk
Infantiles (war) museum
The park behind the Louvre
Hieroglyphics, a gift from Egypt

We pass the grand palace, but the museum is not so grand in my opinion. What is really impressive is the Infantiles army museum in the distance—gold rooftop standing out along the Paris skyline, matched only by the Eiffel Tower.

At long last, we begin the cold walk to the Tour Eifel. It was very cool seeing something so iconic in person. Across the lock bridge (why do people need to put locks on a bridge?), up close it starts looking more like a shabby tower with steel beams and hardy construction. But as we approach, I could better see the details and beautiful curves of steel frame that composed the base. I stare up in awe at the details, like the names on the lower ridge line and stars encrusting the bottom of the pilars.

The pastries, of course, are divine. I try a buttery croissant and some sort of apple tart. I can already tell the French here is a bit different than what I’m used to, but I get around just fine. Contrary to stereotypes, the three Parisians I speak with are helpful and friendly (although one was the Uber driver to the airport). The uber feels like a limo ride with tinted windows, and the driver wore a suit. And with that, minus a few hiccups at the airport and long negotiations with airport staff, we are off to La Reunion

Citadels and cliffs of Wallonia

Posted on February 1, 2021 by krauss-ingtheworld

Dinant

The feeling of power standing atop the citadel on the precipice of a cliff gives a sense of invisibility. I peer over the steep cliffs with the cathedral and town of Dinant below. The beautiful limestone cliffs and caves extend for what seems like forever on either side.

The citadel and cathedral are visible from the cliff top
Posing on the stairs leading up to the cathedral

But its a false feeling of invincibility. Over the millennium, many warring groups have sacked this small town and conquered the citadel, including the French, the Belgians, and the Germans during the world wars, the last of which destroyed the beautiful bulbous belfry tower of the church. Reconstructed, the gothic architecture and stained glass windows are marvels to behold.

Notre Dame de Dinant
13th century Gothic church
The original door from the 9th century romanesque church preceding the cathedral.

My travel companion and I take a cable car up to the ancient citadel, with a marvelous view of the Meuse river valley. The steep steps down seem so easy to defend from this side. Invaders must have snuck around the flat top of the cliff to breach the citadel from behind. We take a long stroll down the Meuse river up to a unique limestone cliff jutting out. The town of Dinant is quite small; we traverse it in less than an hour.

A unique limestone cliff
Defending the stairs to the citadel

Dinant is home to Leffe beer, and the tourist center hands us a six pack of the vanilla-infused blond beer. My favorite is Rituel 9, a much stronger blond ale. We take photos in front of the iconic landscape, straight out of a tourist guide to Wallonia. It is nice to practice French again, whereas in Flanders most people speak perfect English when they realize I do not speak Flemish.

Straight out of a story book
Not bad
From the Leffe factory, brewed since the 13th century

We cross the Charles de Gaule Bridge, where he led a victory during World War 1. Dinant is also home to Adolph Sax, inventor of the saxophone, and the bridge and much of the town is decorated accordingly with the brass instruments.

Saxophones from countries all over the world decorated in each nation’s “style.”

A trip to Dinant would not be complete without trying a coque, a bread and honey mixture as hard as a brick baked into different shapes. The trick is to break off pieces and let them melt in your mouth, “or you’ll break your teeth,” warns the shop keeper. The nice honey flavor and subtle after taste make for a sweet ending to Halloween day in Dinant.

The hard cookies called coques are shaped like fish, saints, and other symbols. I ate one in the shape of St. Jacobs

Namur

The citadel on the top of a hill at Namur is much larger than that of Dinant. The large castle walls and towers date back to the 9th century and have been built up over the years as new rulers have come and gone.

The citadel lies at the confluence of two rivers. The Walloon flag features a red rooster
A large turtle statue with a small boy.
Namur, the capital city of Wallonia
The large sloping citadel

It is fun exploring the underground catacombs of the latest conquerers, the Spanish, that expanded the fortress in the 16th century. I quickly get lost and make my way back to the grassy knoll and travel further back in time across the drawbridges of the 12th century.

The underground catacombs
A tunnel leading to the “new part of the citadel
The transition between the 12th century citadel and the 1
A 12th century drawbridge

The newest part includes a small castle and performance arena, which transitions to a nice forested area. I walk through the woods along the Sambre river to a breathtaking overlook of the city, the capital of the Wallonia region.

The Namur castle-turned-restaurant
Wallonia has such beautiful hills that
The Sambre river

I see cathedrals and the town hall from the town’s “peak” in the 17th century. I climb down the hill for a closer view across the river. Exploring the historic quarter up close, I take in the quintessential Belgian architecture. Similar to Flanders, the narrow alleys are filled with boutique shops juxtaposed alongside ancient buildings.

Commerce center in the classic Belgian Renaissance style of King Louis XIII
La Halle al’ Chair, a 16th century building now serving as the archeological museum of Namur
These statues at the Place d’Armes show two men capturing giant snails in a cage. What do you think it means?

I treat myself to an Italian ham and goat cheese sandwich with honey and basil and an apple-cinnamon waffle. The more affordable Wallonia is not as wealthy as Flanders, as it is mostly rural and relies predominantly on agriculture.

Overall, I find the more dramatic landscapes and cheaper cost of Wallonia make it well worth revisiting.

Angkor Wat

Posted on October 12, 2019 by krauss-ingtheworld

The remnants of the Khmer empire left gorgeous ruins with a sad history. I was excited to fulfill my dream come true exploring the jungle temples of Angkor Wat, like I saw in Lara Croft: Tomb Raider as a kid. However, so much of this part of history is left out of the textbooks, and I was saddened by all the destruction wrought on the temples as empires rose and fell, and wars put bullet holes in the temple walls.

The main temple of the Angkor Wat complex

The temple complex of Angkor Wat is massive, with long corridors and intricate structural designs depicting hindu symbols and buddhist inscriptions. There were cool, dark refugia to take shelter from the sweltering sun and meditate, a zen moment disturbed by some tourist knocking into the Buddhist shrine.

Angkor Wat

After seeing the dried up lake where Lara croft zoomed through on her speed boat, we navigated our way to the top of the main tower for a great view of the Angkor Wat complex.

View of Angkor Wat

Personally, I was much more excited to explore Ta Prohm, a temple overrun with fig trees. The large buttress roots circumnavigate the crumbling temple walls, adding support and resembling the interwoven nature of these temples with the surrounding jungle forests. A beautiful parrot tweets overhead as we take a second to rest in the shade of these large fig trees.

Ta Prohm and the famous fig vines. Lara Croft: tomb raider was here!

The most impressive temple in my opinion is Angkor Thom, with the 7-faces of Buddha carved into the walls. I felt empowered hiking to the top of this structure, passing through the ornate doors and peering over the detailed designs.

Angkor Thom South Gate

The next morning we returned for sunrise at Angkor Wat, the beautiful morning colors reflecting over the square pool. It was still too soon to start exploring the other temples, so we rested outside and got some breakfast as the sun first broke through the canopy.

My only regret was stopping to see some long-tailed macaques, as they soon were in the tuk-tuk we hired to take us around the temples and stealing water bottles. The mother macaque was very angry when I tried to grab it back, so we just left them be—the baby sure was cute though! The elephant-riding also made me uncomfortable as a conservationist, but it still made for a beautiful site.

We explored a variety of other temples and learned how they transitioned from Buddhist to Hindu and back to the hands of other groups of people. The saddest part was learning about the destruction from the Vietnam war, which spilled into Cambodia and killed millions. Land mines still litter the country, and that night at the market of Siem Reap men and women missing limbs sat playing instruments for money.

Angkor Thom

I got a beautiful mug and painting of the temples at the market and had a delicious meal to rejuvenate from the jungle heat. It was amazing exploring these beautiful temples and getting a history lesson that is often overlooked from a Euro-centrist, American perspective.

Singapore: SciArt, Foodie’s Paradise & The Future

Posted on September 27, 2019 by krauss-ingtheworld

I stand in awe at the top of Marina Bay Sands watching the skyline of Singapore come to life as it turns from gray to blue to purple and white. The rooftop bar turns into a club at night with the best view in town, where I can see the light-show from the Gardens by the Bay. These electronic trees are mesmerizing as I watch from the skybridge to the tunes of “staying alive” and other hits from the ’80s.

Gardens By the Bay. The artificial trees put on a show as we danced along the skybridge, and my friend taught me West Coast swing.

Marina Bay Sands Hotel

The architecture of the buildings is incredibly aesthetic, and many are designed with the environment in mind, including green roofs for insulation. My favorite was the cloud forest dome, an art exhibit covered with flora from the cloud forest, my favorite biome. The gorgeous wall of greenery and stunning lighting displays at night highlighted the best these ecosystems have to offer. Unfortunately, because they are so sensitive to change by climate change, will this be the last remnants of these forests?

The cloud forest dome, featuring the flora of one of the world’s most endangered ecosystems

A long-tailed macaque, following us along the trail of Bukit Timah nature reserve.

I was impressed to see how much nature was still intact in Singapore. I woke up at dawn to see monkeys in Bukit Timah reserve along the MacRitchie water catchment, where I spotted a water monitor, a plantain squirrel, and plenty of long-tailed macaques. Hiking to the canopy walk, which was closed, we came back the next day only to get caught in a rainstorm. Still the lush rainforest was gorgeous, and even the botanical garden had a small patch with sunbirds and butterflies flitting around the orchids. My favorite orchid genus, Aranda, had a whole section!

A water monitor cruising through MacRitchie Water Catchment

A plantain squirrel. If you look closely, you can see the skin flaps under the arms that allow her to glide through the canopy!

Science fuses with art all around the city, which springs to life at night with an almost magical aura. I watch with my friend, a mechanical engineer, as she explains to me how her company, ARUP, built the tower with their sleek design team. They also designed the “DNA Bridge” connecting Marina Bay Sands to the fun wharves, like Clark Quay across the way where I got a Turkish delight ice cream surprise in the upbeat neighborhood. I originally had an oolong tea ice cream that I tossed out in exchange from this charismatic Turkish ice cream scooper. He made eye contact with me, motioned for me to toss out my cone, and he played a trick where he gave me a new scoop of thick, creamy vanilla which I didn’t mind one bit!

The “DNA” bridge, also designed by ARUP, and the Science and Art Museum

We dined on some of the most unique and delicious food I’ve had in my life. It was like being in one huge Chinatown: walking down the street grabbing Durian ice cream, having soup dumplings, then eating some Michelin star “Chicken & Rice,” approved by the famous TV food guru. I could’ve sat and ate all day long (and we did!) going to the Hawker-style food courts, enjoying braised duck with noodles and soursop and ice for dessert, all for less than $5! There were these rosewater milkshakes called milo dinosaurs (Milo being an Aussie chocolate powder drink sprinkled on top of a fruity delight).

The Michelin star restaurant found at a Hawker’s market

My favorite dish was the black carrot cake. A bit of a misnomer, this dish is egg based and has a “melt-in-your-mouth” texture reminiscent of flan . However it is very chewy, smooth consistency, and absolutely paired well with a light dinner after a long walk along the marina bay sands’s most touristy hawkers market. I remember gawking at the “overpriced” $4 cake!

Walking through Chinatown, it was clear to see the influence of the Chinese immigrants that built the community. I even had the chance to take a stroll through the Hindu temples in Little India, the community built by the Indian immigrants. The shops were lined with spices and I even picked up an umbrella to keep dry from the pouring rain. Touring further along the easily accessibly train line, Chinese temples adorned the streets and gave a teaser of what was to come in Bangkok. I really enjoyed learning about the buddhist customs and traditions, and monks and religious patrons were lighting incense in honor of a holiday at one of the temples.

The Jewel: This shopping complex made me feel like I was in the future!

On my return layover, I never even had to leave Changxi airport. From exploring The Jewel to the butterfly garden, I was in awe of how futuristic the place was.

The butterfly garden in ChangXi Airport

The Jewel: This shopping complex made me feel like I was in the future!

There was a sad aspect as well, as everything was automated, I ordered food from machines and went the whole day without speaking to another soul. Is this the future–machine run and nature existing only behind closed domes?